Designer tips:

1. "I wanted a livable, modern space wrapped in color," says U.K.--based designer Suzanne Sharp about her living room, featured in the new book Designers at Home.

2. The key to an interesting and elegant mantelpiece is symmetry. Here, there's a lamp, a framed piece, and an object on each side of the greenery.

3. Let your books be a bit messy: It gives the room a warm, relaxed look.

Francois Halard

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Cool find:

Add charm to a room with little clusters of vases, like this pair. 4 lucky readers will win one of these glass vases, $60 (short) and $49.95 (tall); pier1.com.

Courtesy of Manufacturers

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Cool find:

"If your wall isn't big enough for the full A to Z, look for framed vintage and new prints of letters that are important to you, like your family's initials, and arrange them in a cluster on your wall." --Suzanne Sharp